Fun at The Ice Box

Hockey players reach out to kids from Hope Ministries.

Hockey players reach out to kids from Hope Ministries.

January 02, 2009|KIM KILBRIDE Tribune Staff Writer

Penn Hockey Club members spent a special evening last week with kids from the Early Childhood Development Program of Hope Ministries. Penn High School hockey players showed about a dozen little ones their way around on the ice. The older students helped the kids lace up their skates, then they taught them some basics at The Ice Box in South Bend. For Christian Sandroni, a Penn senior, the event was an opportunity to have a little fun while at the same time doing something that was potentially meaningful to a child. "I don't think anybody had a problem with coming out here," he said of club members. Matt Wetzel, also a senior, said it was nice to be able to give back to the community. "They're laughing, giggling and having fun," he said, pointing to the kids on the ice. "This is the first time they've skated. ... Some of them are very good." Karla Pedue is the children services coordinator at Hope Ministries. Her son Austin is also a Penn hockey player. Last year, the club took books out to the kids for Christmas and the teens spent time reading to them, she said. This year, the idea came about to get the little ones on the ice. The Ice Box provided the rink time and the rental skates for free, Pedue said. "This is a totally new experience for our Hope kids," she added. After an hour or so on the ice, the kids from Hope's early childhood program, along with many of their parents, joined the Penn skaters and their parents for a meal in celebration of the holidays and the little ones' accomplishments on the ice. Staff writer Kim Kilbride: kkilbride@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6554